Method of cultivating fresh spirulina at home and device thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for cultivating and consuming fresh Spirulina at home. The method comprises species selection of Spirulina for cultivation at home, cultivation environment and apparatus conditions, cultivation and maintenance of Spirulina, collection of fresh Spirulina, consumption and storage of fresh Spirulina. The invention changes the situations that Spirulina are only produced in plants and the finished products of Spirulina are bought in stores or hospitals. The invention not only enables the nutrients of Spirulina to be stored and utilized much completely, but also comprehensively utilizes this original biological resource and characteristics of Spirulina (such as absorption of carbon dioxide, release of fresh oxygen and production of high-protein nutrient source) and thus develops and popularizes much quickly the edible Spirulina to meet the needs of the public to health foods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus forcultivating and consuming fresh Spirulina at home, belonging to a methodand an apparatus for cultivating and consuming fresh Spirulina on asmall scale (it means in a broad sense any small-scale vesselcultivation except laboratory-scale and plant-scale cultivation).

2. Disclosure of the Prior Art

Spirulina has already been generally acknowledged as “the bestnourishing health food for human consumption” all over the world. Manyinternational authoritative organizations such as Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations (FAO), World Health Organization(WHO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) etc, have reached a finalconclusion on this point. In China, the State Council has placed on “theseventh national five-year plan” the goal to develop Spirulina andsupplement nutritive protein for human consumption.

Spirulina is a kind of aquatic organism that has existed for more thanthree billion years. The present worldwide Spirulina source is verylimited. The existing commercially available Spirulina is produced byplant-scale cultivation followed by processing into finished products,such as tablets, capsules, powders and drinks etc., which meet the needsof transportation and storage and are ultimately supplied to consumers.Up till now, the techniques adopted all over the world are plant-scalecultivation followed by commercial processing. The plant-scalecultivation is mainly an open-air scale cultivation utilizing naturalconditions, such as sunlight, ambient temperature and timely seasons,after which Spirulina is harvested collectively and subjected to rinse,dehydration, drying, tabletting or filling and then enters theconsumption market as commercial end products. However, not only theplant-scale cultivation and commercial processing of Spirulina need hugeinvestments resulting in the high prices of Spirulina products, but alsoSpirulina loses some of its nutritive ingredients after being dried.Moreover, often due to the defects in the processing techniques, someingredients deteriorate, resulting in a foreign flavor in the finishedproducts, which is difficult for an ordinary person to accept.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a method and anapparatus for cultivating and consuming fresh Spirulina at home, tocomprehensively utilize the biological characteristics of viableSpirulina, such as absorption of carbon dioxide and release ofbiological oxygen, and thus to remake the environment and improve thegeneral level of human health.

By changing both the method for producing Spirulina and the method forconsuming Spirulina, the present invention enables people to cultivateand consume fresh Spirulina at home, changes high-grade nourishinghealth foods into daily foods that every one and every family canafford. At the same time, the present invention avoids the damage to thepublic caused by counterfeit health foods.

The object of the present invention is achieved by the method and theapparatus described bellow:

A method for cultivating and consuming fresh Spirulina at home,comprising species selection of Spirulina for cultivation at home,culture conditions for cultivation at home, cultivation and maintenancemethod, collection and harvest of viable Spirulina cells, consumption offresh Spirulina, storage of fresh Spirulina etc., characterized in that:

(1) Species of Spirulina: Spirulina platensis and Spirulina maxima forcultivation at home;

(2) Culture conditions: inorganic compound nutrients and clean freshwater are selected as culture medium; an alkaline resisting, non-toxicapparatus equipped with a light source, a heat source and a stirringmeans;

(3) Cultivation and maintenance of Spirulina: the culture medium isfirst dissolved in water, the pH of the solution being 8-11, and thenthe Spirulina seed is inoculated into the solution, water temperatureduring the normal cultivation period being 25-40° C.; If there areSpirulina cells adhering to the vessel wall, brushing them off the wallwith a brush to impel them to move;

(4) Collection of viable Spirulina: part of Spirulina is collected andharvested by filtration using a fine filter screen, the remaining partis further cultivated; if necessary, old Spirulina and precipitate areremoved by using a coarse filter screen;

(5) Consumption of fresh Spirulina: the filtered-out fresh Spirulina isfirst rinsed with water to remove the remaining culture solution, andthen consumed directly after being added to various kinds of drinks orother foods;

(6) Storage of fresh Spirulina: after rinsing with water the freshSpirulina is directly stored for further use by freezing, or formulatedinto a paste with cold drinking water and then stored by freezing.

The above-mentioned culture medium comprises the following ingredients(based on 1 liter of culture solution):

K₂HPO₄, (Na₂)HPO₄ or KH₂PO₄, NaH₂PO₄ 0.1-1 g/L NaHCO₃ 8-30 g/L EDTA0.01-10 g/L Na₂CO₃ or K₂CO₃ 0-10 g/L FeSO₄.7H₂O 0.01-1.5 g/L.

In accordance with specific conditions, the culture medium of thepresent invention may further comprise one or more ingredients selectedfrom the group consisting of (based on 1 liter of culture solution):

NaNO₃ or KNO₃ 1-6 g/L ZnSO₄ 0-2 mg/L K₂SO₄ 0-2 g/L NaSeO₄ 0-0.03 mg/LNaCl or sea salt 0.5-1.5 g/L CuSO₄ 0-0.1 mg/L Ca(NO₃)₂ 0-0.1 g/L MoO₂0-0.05 mg/L MgSO₄ 0.05-0.3 g/L NH₄VO₃ 0-0.03 mg/L CaCl₂ 0.01-0.1 g/LK₂Cr₂(SO₄)₄ 0-0.1 mg/L H₃BO₃ 0-5 mg/L Ni(SO₄)₂ 0-0.1 mg/L Na₂WO₄ 0-0.05mg/L Ti₂(SO₄)₃ 0-0.1 mg/L Co(NO₃)₂ 0-0.1 mg/L MnCl₂ 0-3 mg/L.

(I) Preparation of Culture Solution and Inoculation

(1) Providing a clean barrel, and adding an appropriate amount of cleanfresh water thereto;

(2) The culture medium is added and mixing is carried out untildissolution; the supernatant is then poured into a culture vessel, andthe undissolved portion is dissolved by continuously adding water andthen poured into the culture vessel, the procedure is repeated until theculture medium is dissolved completely; if the culture medium is aliquid, it can be poured into the culture vessel directly and mixed withwater;

(3) Adding clean water to a predetermined position;

(4) Connecting electricity, aerating to induce flow of the liquid orstirring the liquid to move, and the heating system is started when thetemperature is low;

(5) The Spirulina seed prepared beforehand is shaken until the cell massdispenses, and then poured into the culture vessel; and

(6) Clean fresh water is added until the liquid level reaches thepredetermined position;

(II) Cultivation

The optimum temperature for Spirulina growth is 25-37° C., and theinitial inoculation is preferably carried out at nightfall,

(1) Outdoor cultivation: Spirulina is a kind of photobiotic organism. Itgrows well when the light is sufficient; when the sunlight is too strongin Summer, however, it is necessary to shelter from light appropriately,avoiding the too high temperature caused by the too strong sunlight; ifthe outdoor temperature is above 37° C., sheltering from light,ventilation and cooling are necessary to maintain high growth rate; whenthe temperature is below 25° C., a heater is started;

(2) Indoor cultivation: if the light is insufficient, the Spirulinaoutput may be on the low side, and the cultivation apparatus should beplaced by the window that has a southern exposure, making the bottom ofthe vessel above the windowsill so as to make use of natural light asmuch as possible, if necessary, an artificial light source is started tosupplement illumination; when the temperature is below 25° C., theheater is started;

(3) If there are many Spirulina cells adhering to the vessel wall, theyshould be brushed off the wall gently into the liquid by a brush,rendering the Spirulina cells to move again, to increase thetransparency of the vessel and the illumination intensity and thuspromote the growth of Spirulina;

(III) Harvest and Consumption

After about 7 days of cultivation under appropriate conditions,Spirulina can be harvested (the, dark green presenting in the vesselcontent indicates that Spirulina has reached the degree for harvest):

(1) Let the culture solution flow over a fine filter screen and thematured Spirulina can be filtered out;

(2) Spirulina that is filtered out and retained on the screen is rinsedwith drinking water, and then can be consumed; Or before consuming anappropriate amount of warm boiled water (for example, boiled water below70° C.) can be added and preferably keeping the Spirulina green; Orbefore consuming, sugar, honey, milk or fruit juice can be added to forma kind of drink, or Spirulina can be added to gruel, oatmeal or otherfoods for consumption;

(IV) Supplement Culture Medium or Replace Culture Solution for FurtherCultivation

Generally speaking, after about 25-30 days of continuous cultivation andharvest under appropriate conditions, the fresh Spirulina output beginsto drop, at this moment, the culture medium should be supplemented orthe culture solution should be replaced; the method for supplementingculture medium comprises: adding directly an appropriate amount ofculture medium to the culture vessel, stirring until it mixes completelywith the original culture solution; the method for replacing culturesolution comprises:

(1) Disconnecting electricity;

(2) Discharging an appropriate amount of Spirulina liquid into a cleancontainer for further use as Spirulina seed;

(3) Filtering out all the Spirulina cells remaining in the vessel by afine filter screen with the filtrate discarded;

(4) The filtered out Spirulina is inoculated into the fresh culturesolution for further cultivation or placed into a freezer compartment ina refrigerator for consumption in future;

(5) Discarding the liquid remaining in the vessel, and washing the innerwall of the cultivation vessel with clean water;

(6) Preparing fresh culture solution in accordance with the previousmethod;

(7) Connecting electricity;

(8) Taking out the Spirulina liquid that is used as Spirulina seed,filtering out the Spirulina cells by a fine filter screen with thefiltrate discarded, transferring the Spirulina cells on the filterscreen into the cultivation vessel, and dispensing the cells massgently; repeating the above procedure until the Spirulina cells in theliquid are totally transferred into the cultivation vessel, at thismoment, further cultivation and harvest can be carried out.

An apparatus for cultivating and consuming fresh Spirulina at home,comprising a cultivation vessel, characterized in that the cultivationvessel is equipped with an ventilation and draft tube or a stirrer, anartificial light source, an automatic temperature controller, a drainoutlet and optionally a cap; the cultivation vessel and the optional capare both transparent.

According to the habit of Spirulina, there is a need for a complete setof new methods in the following aspects to achieve the above-mentionedobject: 1. Spirulina species; 2. cultivation environment and conditions;3. cultivation and maintenance method; 4. collection and harvest ofviable Spirulina; 5. consumption of fresh Spirulina; 6. storage of freshSpirulina. The following is a detailed description of the presentinvention.

1. The Selection of Spirulina Species:

There are about 50 kinds of Spirulina. They differ greatly in growthcharacteristics and nutrients content. After comparison, “Spirulinaplatensis” and “Spirulina maxima” are preferred, because not only theyhave a complete range of nutrients but also they suit the small-scalecultivation at home. These species are commercially available from theseed domestication and cultivation base of our company. Each batch ofseed can be cultivated and bred continuously for two years withoutvariation and drop in output.

2. Cultivation Environment and Conditions at Home:

Just as the growth of other organisms, the growth of Spirulina needsadequate nutrients and favorable environment. The culture mediumrequired by the Spirulina is inorganic compound nutrients and CO₂. Theseinorganic nutrients must meet the following three prerequisites: 1. Theinorganic nutrients are capable of supplying the total nutrientsrequired for Spirulina to reach the predetermined collection and harvestyield during the predetermined cultivation period; 2. The inorganicnutrients are capable of transforming common fresh water into waterenvironment suit for Spirulina growth with a pH of 8-11; and 3. All thenutrients supplied for Spirulina growth must be harmless to human body.The culture medium comprises the following ingredients (based on 1 literof culture solution):

K₂HPO₄, (Na₂)HPO₄ or KH₂PO₄, NaH₂PO₄ 0.1-1 g/L NaHCO₃ 8-30 g/L EDTA0.01-10 g/L Na₂CO₃ or K₂CO₃ 0-10 g/L FeSO₄.7H₂O 0.01-1.5 g/L.

In accordance with specific conditions, the culture medium may furthercomprise one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of(based on 1 liter of culture solution):

NaNO₃ or KNO₃ 1-6 g/L ZnSO₄ 0-2 mg/L K₂SO₄ 0-2 g/L NaSeO₄ 0-0.03 mg/LNaCl or sea salt 0.5-1.5 g/L CuSO₄ 0-0.1 mg/L Ca(NO₃)₂ 0-0.1 g/L MoO₂0-0.05 mg/L MgSO₄ 0.05-0.3 g/L NH₄VO₃ 0-0.03 mg/L CaCl₂ 0.01-0.1 g/LK₂Cr₂(SO₄)₄ 0-0.1 mg/L H₃BO₃ 0-5 mg/L Ni(SO₄)₂ 0-0.1 mg/L Na₂WO₄ 0-0.05mg/L Ti₂(SO₄)₃ 0-0.1 mg/L Co(NO₃)₂ 0-0.1 mg/L MnCl₂ 0-3 mg/L.

In addition, the growth of Spirulina needs appropriate illumination,temperature and CO₂. During the cultivation of Spirulina at home, anartificial light source (fluorescent lamp or incandescent lamp), anartificial heat source (electric heating, water heating or gas heating)and an artificial power (aeration or stirring) are employed tosupplement the insufficient natural light, temperature and gasrespectively. In the cultivation of Spirulina, the above-mentionedconditions and environment are realized in an appropriate apparatus. Thesize of the apparatus is determined in the light of the amount ofSpirulina to be consumed. Generally speaking, 50-200 grams of freshSpirulina is produced in 0.1 cubic meter of water per day. The parts ofthe apparatus that contact with the culture solution must be made frommaterials that are alkaline resisting and non-toxic. The cultivationvessel and the cap are preferably made from transparent materials suchas glass or plastic.

3. Cultivation and Maintenance:

Spirulina has its own habit. Especially in the small-scale cultivationat home, the method of cultivation and maintenance affects directly theoutput and quality of Spirulina. The water temperature must not be lowerthan 20° C. when Spirulina is inoculated; after entering into the normalcultivation period, the water temperature should be controlled at 25-37°C. so that Spirulina can grow and reproduce rapidly. The vessel forcultivation of Spirulina must not be sealed, so as to allow Spirulina torespire (inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen). Due to the very smallsize of individual Spirulina cells, they are apt to adhere to the vesselwall during growth and thus become old and die after a short period oftime. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the vessel wall with a brushregularly (once a day) to render these Spirulina cells to move again.

4. Collection and Harvest of Viable Spirulina:

Seven days after the inoculation of Spirulina, it can be collected andharvested for consumption when the solution for cultivation of Spirulinahas become dark green. The principle for collection and harvest is toharvest the mature Spirulina for consumption and retain the immatureSpirulina for further growth so as to increase the subsequent output.According to the selected Spirulina species, Spirulina can usually beharvested by filtration using a fine filter screen of 200-350 meshes.Generally speaking, however, the aggregates that have been old andprecipitated or that floating on water are not fit for consumption (butcan be used to raise fish or be used as fertilizer for flowers), andthey can be filtered out using a coarse filter screen of 100-200 meshes.

5. Consumption of Fresh Spirulina:

The fresh Spirulina obtained by collection and harvest is viable,appears to be a green or dark green paste and has no foreign flavor.When being consumed, it needs to be rinsed with a small amount ofdrinking water with the main aim to wash away the culture solutionremaining on the surface of fresh Spirulina to get a better mouth feel.The rinsed Spirulina can be consumed after adding it directly to variousdrinks (such as warm boiled water, milk or coffee, etc.) or adding it toother foods such as porridge, cooked wheaten foods, etc. When mixing,the temperature is preferably controlled at a temperature not higherthan 50° C. to prevent some nutrients of Spirulina from being destroyed.The consumption amount of fresh Spirulina can be determined according tothe specific person and the purpose of consumption. When Spirulina isused to supplement nutrients, the daily amount may be 10-30 grams perperson; while when it is used for health care and therapy, the dailyamount may be 30-50 grams per person. It is harmless to consume muchSpirulina. The optimum time for consuming fresh Spirulina is everymorning (on an empty stomach) or at bedtime.

6. Storage of Fresh Spirulina:

Since Spirulina is a kind of aquatic organism that contains high contentof protein, it is apt to go bad after taken out from water (like a seafood). Therefore, the storage of Spirulina is very important. The methodfor storage of Spirulina comprises adding the rinsed fresh Spirulina toan appropriate amount of cool boiled water, mixing to form a dilutepaste and then freezing by distributing into the ice build-up cans infreezer compartments in a refrigerator or other containers. Thethus-treated fresh Spirulina can preserve freshness within a relativelylong period of time. When consuming, it can be taken out of thecontainers according to the desired amount and added into a drink, whichis convenient, fresh, interesting and healthy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for implementing the present method forcultivating Spirulina;

FIG. 2 shows another apparatus for implementing the present method forcultivating Spirulina; and

FIG. 3 shows a further apparatus for implementing the present method forcultivating Spirulina.

In the drawings,

Reference sign 1 stands for a cap that serves the function of dustprevention and allows gas to pass through;

Reference sign 2 stands for a automatic temperature controller that isused to control the temperature of the culture solution; when thetemperature is below 25° C., it begins to heat the liquid automatically;

Reference sign 3 stands for a ventilation and draft tube that is used tostir and circulate the liquid to render Spirulina to move, it runscontinuously;

Reference sign 4 stands for an artificial light source that is used tosupplement the illumination at night or when there is no illumination;

Reference sign 5 stands for a drain outlet that is used to collect freshSpirulina, discharge or replace the culture solution in the cultivationvessel;

Reference sign 6 stands for a transparent cultivation vessel;

Reference sign 7 stands for a foundation support; and

Reference sign 8 stands for a heating body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is described in further detail in the followingnon-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

EXAMPLE 1 (SEE FIG. 1) I. Preparation of Culture Solution andInoculation

1. A clean barrel was provided, and 10 liters of clean water was addedthereto;

2. The culture medium was added and mixing was carried out untildissolution; the supernatant was then poured into a culture vessel (6),and the undissolved portion was dissolved by continuously adding waterand then poured into the culture vessel (6), the procedure was repeateduntil the culture medium was dissolved completely; if the culture mediumwas a liquid, it could be poured into the culture vessel (6) directlyand mixed with water;

3. Clean water was added to a position corresponding to ⅔ of the volumeof the culture vessel (6);

4. Electricity was connected, and the ventilation and draft tube (3)begun to bubble up, and the automatic temperature controller (2) begunto heat the liquid automatically when the temperature was low;

5. The Spirulina seed prepared beforehand was shaken gently until thecell mass dispensed, and then poured into the culture vessel (6);

6. Clean water was added until the liquid level reached a position thatwas 3-5 centimeters from the top of the culture vessel (6).

II. Cultivation

The optimum temperature for Spirulina growth was 25-37° C., and theinitial inoculation was preferably carried out at nightfall,

1. Outdoor cultivation: Spirulina is a kind of photobiotic organism. Itgrew well when the light was sufficient; when the sunlight was toostrong in Summer, however, it was necessary to shelter from lightappropriately, avoiding the too high temperature caused by the toostrong sunlight; if the outdoor temperature was above 37° C., shelteringfrom light, ventilation and cooling were necessary to maintain highgrowth rate; when the temperature was below 25° C., the automatictemperature controller (2) begun to heat the liquid automatically;

2. Indoor cultivation: if the light was insufficient, the Spirulinayield might be on the low side, and the cultivation apparatus should beplaced by the window that had a southern exposure, making the bottom ofthe vessel above the windowsill so as to make use of natural light asmuch as possible, if necessary, an artificial light source (4) wasstarted to supplement illumination; when the temperature was below 25°C., the automatic temperature controller (2) begun to heat the liquidautomatically;

3. If there were many Spirulina cells adhering to the vessel wall, theyshould be brushed off the wall gently into the liquid by a brush,rendering the Spirulina cells to move again, and thus promote the growthof Spirulina.

III. Harvest and Consumption

After about 7 days of cultivation under appropriate conditions,Spirulina could be harvested (the dark green presenting in the vesselcontent indicated that Spirulina had reached the degree for harvest):

1. The drain outlet (5) was opened, let the culture solution flow over afilter screen of 300 meshes and the matured Spirulina was filtered out;

2. Spirulina that was filtered out and retained on the screen was rinsedwith drinking water, and then was consumed; Or before consuming, anappropriate amount of warm boiled water below 50° C. and preferable coldwater was added and keeping the Spirulina green; Or before consuming,sugar, honey, milk or fruit juice etc. was added to form a kind ofdrink, or Spirulina was added to gruel, oatmeal or other foods forconsumption.

IV. Supplement Culture Medium or Replace Culture Solution for FurtherCultivation

Generally speaking, after about 25-30 days of continuous cultivation andharvest under appropriate conditions, the fresh Spirulina yield begun todrop, at this moment, the culture medium should be supplemented or theculture solution should be replaced; the method for supplementingculture medium comprised: an appropriate amount of culture medium wasadded directly to the culture vessel (6), stirring was carried out untilit mixed completely with the original culture solution; the method forreplacing culture solution comprised:

1. Electricity was disconnected;

2. About ½ to ⅔ vessel of Spirulina liquid was discharged into a cleancontainer for further use as Spirulina seed;

3. All of the Spirulina cells remaining in the vessel were filtered outby a fine filter screen of 300 meshes and the filtrate was discarded;

4. The filtered out Spirulina was inoculated into the fresh culturesolution for further cultivation or placed into a freezer compartment ina refrigerator for consumption in future;

5. The liquid remaining in the vessel was discarded, and the inner wallof the cultivation vessel (6) was washed gently with wet flannelette andclean water;

6. Fresh culture solution was prepared in accordance with the previousmethod;

7. Electricity was connected;

8. The Spirulina liquid that was used as Spirulina seed was taken out,the Spirulina cells was filtered out by a fine filter screen of 300meshes with the filtrate discarded, the Spirulina cells on the filterscreen were transferred into the cultivation vessel (6), and the cellsmass was dispensed gently; the above procedure was repeated until theSpirulina cells in the liquid were totally transferred into thecultivation vessel (6), at this moment, further cultivation and harvestcould be carried out.

EXAMPLE 2 (SEE FIG. 2) Cultivation Method I. Inoculation

1. A clean barrel was provided, and an appropriate amount of clean waterwas added thereto;

2. The prepared culture medium was added and mixing was carried outuntil dissolution; the supernatant was then poured into a culture vessel(6), and the undissolved portion was dissolved by continuously addingwater and then poured into the culture vessel (6), the procedure wasrepeated until the culture medium was dissolved completely; if theculture medium was a liquid, it was poured into the culture vessel (6)directly and mixed with water;

3. Clean water was added to a position corresponding to ⅔ of the volumeof the culture vessel (6);

4. Electricity was connected, and the ventilation and draft tube (3)begun to bubble up, and the automatic temperature controller (2) begunto heat the liquid automatically when the temperature was low;

5. The Spirulina seed prepared beforehand was shaken gently until thecell mass dispensed, and then poured into the culture vessel (6);

6. Clean water was added until the liquid level reached a position thatwas 3-5 centimeters from the top of the culture vessel (6).

II. Cultivation

1. Outdoor cultivation: Spirulina is a kind of photobiotic organism. Itgrew well when the light was sufficient; when the sunlight was toostrong in Summer, however, it was necessary to shelter from lightappropriately, avoiding the too high temperature caused by the toostrong sunlight; if the outdoor temperature was above 37° C., shelteringfrom light, ventilation and cooling were necessary to maintain highgrowth rate; when the temperature was below 25° C., the automatictemperature controller (2) begun to heat the liquid automatically;

2. Indoor cultivation: if the light was insufficient, the Spirulinayield might be on the low side, and the cultivation apparatus should beplaced by the window that had a southern exposure, making the bottom ofthe vessel above the windowsill so as to make use of natural light asmuch as possible, if necessary, an artificial light source (4) wasstarted to supplement illumination; when the temperature was below 25°C., the automatic temperature controller (2) begun to heat the liquidautomatically;

3. If there were many Spirulina cells adhering to the vessel wall, theyshould be brushed off the wall gently into the liquid by a brush,rendering the Spirulina cells to move again, and thus promote the growthof Spirulina.

III. Harvest and Consumption

1. The drain outlet (5) was opened, let the culture solution flow over afilter screen of 300 meshes and the matured Spirulina was filtered out;

2. Spirulina that was filtered out and retained on the screen was rinsedwith drinking water, and then was consumed; Or before consuming, anappropriate amount of boiled water below 50° C. was added and keepingthe Spirulina green or slight brown; Or before consuming, sugar, honey,milk or fruit juice etc. was added to form a kind of drink, or Spirulinawas added to gruel, oatmeal or other foods for consumption.

IV. Supplement Culture Medium or Replace Culture Solution for FurtherCultivation

Generally speaking, after about 25-30 days of continuous cultivation andharvest under appropriate conditions, the fresh Spirulina yield begun todrop, at this moment, the culture medium should be supplemented or theculture solution should be replaced; the method for supplementingculture medium comprised: an appropriate amount of culture medium wasadded directly to the culture vessel (6), stirring was carried out untilit mixed completely with the original culture solution; the method forreplacing culture solution comprised:

1. Electricity was disconnected;

2. About ½ to ⅔ vessel of Spirulina liquid was discharged into a cleancontainer for further use as Spirulina seed;

3. All of the Spirulina cells remaining in the vessel were filtered outby a fine filter screen of 300 meshes with the filtrate discarded;

4. The filtered out Spirulina was inoculated into the fresh culturesolution for further cultivation or placed into a freezer compartment ina refrigerator for consumption in future;

5. The liquid remaining in the vessel was discarded, and the inner wallof the cultivation vessel (6) was washed gently with wet flannelette andclean water;

6. Fresh culture solution was prepared in accordance with the previousmethod;

7. Electricity was connected;

8. The Spirulina liquid that was used as Spirulina seed was taken out,the Spirulina cells was filtered out by a fine filter screen of 300meshes with the filtrate discarded, the Spirulina cells on the filterscreen was transferred into the cultivation vessel (6), and the cellsmass was dispensed gently; the above procedure was repeated until theSpirulina cells in the liquid were totally transferred into thecultivation vessel (6), at this moment, further cultivation and harvestcould be carried out.

EXAMPLE 3 (SEE FIG. 3) Cultivation Method I. Inoculation

1. A clean barrel was provided, and an appropriate amount of clean waterwas added thereto;

2. The prepared culture medium was added and mixing was carried outuntil dissolution; the supernatant was then poured into a culture vessel(6), and the undissolved portion was dissolved by continuously addingwater and then poured into the culture vessel (6), the procedure wasrepeated until the culture medium was dissolved completely; if theculture medium was a liquid, it was poured into the culture vessel (6)directly and mixed with water;

3. Clean water was added to a position corresponding to ⅔ of the volumeof the culture vessel (6);

4. Electricity was connected (in the case of horizontal vessel, it wasnecessary to connect a stirrer to the electricity), and the automatictemperature controller (2) begun to heat the liquid automatically whenthe temperature was low;

5. The Spirulina seed prepared beforehand was shaken gently until thecell mass dispensed, and then poured into the culture vessel (6);

6. Clean water was added until the liquid level reached a position thatwas 3-5 centimeters from the top of the culture vessel (6).

II. Cultivation

1. Outdoor cultivation: Spirulina is a kind of photobiotic organism. Itgrew well when the light is sufficient; when the sunlight was too strongin Summer, however, it was necessary to shelter from lightappropriately, avoiding the too high temperature caused by the toostrong sunlight; if the outdoor temperature was above 37° C., shelteringfrom light, ventilation and cooling were necessary to maintain highgrowth rate; when the temperature was below 25° C., the heating body (8)begun to heat the liquid automatically;

2. Indoor cultivation: if the light was insufficient, the Spirulinayield might be on the low side, and the cultivation apparatus should beplaced by the window that had a southern exposure, making the bottom ofthe vessel above the windowsill so as to make use of natural light asmuch as possible, if necessary, an artificial light source (4) wasstarted to supplement illumination; when the temperature was below 25°C., the automatic temperature controller (2) begun to heat the liquidautomatically;

3. If there were many Spirulina cells adhering to the vessel wall, theyshould be brushed off the wall gently into the liquid by a brush,rendering the Spirulina cells to move again and thus grow.

III. Harvest and Consumption

1. The drain outlet (5) was opened, let the culture solution flow over afilter screen of 300 meshes and the matured Spirulina was filtered out;

2. Spirulina that was filtered out and retained on the screen was rinsedwith drinking water, and then was consumed; Or before consuming, anappropriate amount of boiled water below 50° C. was added and keepingthe Spirulina green or slight brown; Or before consuming, sugar, honey,milk or fruit juice etc. was added to form a kind of drink, or Spirulinawas added to gruel, oatmeal or other foods for consumption.

IV. Supplement Culture Medium or Replace Culture Solution for FurtherCultivation

Generally speaking, after about 25-30 days of continuous cultivation andharvest under appropriate conditions, the fresh Spirulina yield begun todrop, at this moment, the culture medium should be supplemented or theculture solution should be replaced; the method for supplementingculture medium comprised: an appropriate amount of culture medium wasadded directly to the culture vessel (6), stirring was carried out untilit mixed completely with the original culture solution; the method forreplacing culture solution comprised:

1. Electricity was disconnected;

2. About ⅓ to ⅔ vessel of Spirulina liquid was discharged into a cleancontainer for further use as Spirulina seed;

3. All of the Spirulina cells remaining in the vessel were filtered outby a fine filter screen of 300 meshes with the filtrate discarded;

4. The filtered out Spirulina was inoculated into the fresh culturesolution for further cultivation or placed into a freezer compartment ina refrigerator for consumption in future;

5. The liquid remaining in the vessel was discarded, and the inner wallof the cultivation vessel (6) was washed gently with wet flannelette andclean water;

6. Fresh culture solution was prepared in accordance with the previousmethod;

7. Electricity is connected;

8. The Spirulina liquid that was used as Spirulina seed was taken out,the Spirulina cells were filtered out by a fine filter screen of 300meshes with the filtrate discarded, the Spirulina cells on the filterscreen was transferred into the cultivation vessel (6), and the cellsmass was dispensed gently; the above procedure was repeated until theSpirulina cells in the liquid were totally transferred into thecultivation vessel (6), at this moment, further cultivation and harvestcould be carried out.

It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that theforegoing examples are not intended to define the scope of the presentinvention but to describe the present invention in further detail. Thespirit or scope of the present invention is defined in the appendedclaims. Various modifications and changes not departing from the spiritof the invention are within the scope of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL PRACTICABILITY

The effects of the present invention are as follows:

1. The cultivation of Spirulina at home can achieve the consumption offresh viable Spirulina, prevent effectively the rare nutrients ofSpirulina from being destroyed during the industrial processing(dehydration, drying) and increase the nutritive value. Moreover, thefresh Spirulina has no stinking smell as of rotten fish in the driedproducts of Spirulina.

2. Human body can absorb fresh Spirulina much easily than driedproducts. The absorptivity for fresh Spirulina is more than 98% whilethe absorptivity for dried products is only about 78%.

3. The present invention effectively reduces the damage to human bodycaused by counterfeit and inferior Spirulina products. The commerciallyavailable dried products of Spirulina are all processed end products,some of which need to add non-Spirulina substances such as additivesetc. and thus are apt to be faked; while Spirulina cultivated at homecan be consumed directly, putting an end to the damage caused bycounterfeit and inferior products.

4. For the same amount of nutrients that can be digested and absorbed byhuman body, the cost of fresh Spirulina is only 20-50% of that ofcommercially available dried products of Spirulina.

5. Spirulina is a kind of rapid-reproducing photosynthetic organism thatreleases large amount of natural oxygen and absorbs large amount of CO₂during cultivation, which contributes to the improvement on air qualityin room.

What is claimed is:
 1. A domestic culturing method for producing andconsuming fresh Spirulina and improving air quality in a room,comprising the following steps: (a) seeding viable pure Spirulina cellsinto a water soluble culture medium containing inorganic compoundnutrients and having a pH of 8-11; (b) injecting the resulting culturesolution containing the Spirulina cells into a domestic electricalappliance equipped with an artificial light source, an automatictemperature controller and a ventilation and draft tube or a stirrer,allowing the Spirulina cells to grow and proliferate for a period oftime at a culture solution temperature of 25-40° C. (c) collectingmatured Spirulina cells from the culture solution by filtration using afine filter screen and allowing unmatured Spirulina cells to passthrough to grow further; optionally, collecting and storing releasedoxygen by a cap fitted onto the electrical appliance and being in theform of a flexible pocket, or a rigid chamber for supplying to a personin need thereof, or otherwise releasing from the electrical appliance,oxygen regularly and quantitatively; if necessary, removing oldSpirulina cells and precipitate using a coarse filter screen; and (d)consuming directly the filtered-out viable matured Spirulina cells afterthey are rinsed with water; or storing immediately the filtered-outviable Spirulina cells for further use by freezing after they are rinsedwith water; or formulating the collected viable Spirulina cells into apaste with cold water and then storing by freezing.
 2. The method as setforth in claim 1, wherein the Spirulina is Spirulina platensis orSpirulina maxima.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2,wherein the culture solution temperature in step (b) is 25-37° C.
 4. Themethod as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein in step (b) theSpirulina cells are allowed to grow for about 7 days in a first cycle.5. The method as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein in step (c)the culture medium is supplemented or replaced after 25-30 days ofcontinuous collection.
 6. The method as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2,wherein in step (c) the fine filter screen is one of 200-350 meshes andthe coarse filter screen is one of 100-200 meshes.
 7. The method as setforth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein in step (d), after rinsing withwater, the filtered-out viable Spirulina cells are mixed with a drink oradded to food and then consumed.
 8. The method as set forth in claim 7,wherein the drink comprises milk, coffee or juice, and the foodcomprises gruel, oatmeal, sugar or honey.
 9. The method as set forth inclaim 1 or 2, wherein based on 1 liter of culture solution, the culturemedium contains the following ingredients: K₂HPO₄(Na₂)HPO₄ or KH₂PO₄,NaH₂PO₄ 0.1-1 g/L NaHCO₃ 8-30 g/L Na₂CO₃ or K₂CO₃ 0-10 g/L.


10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein based on 1 liter ofculture solution, the culture medium further contains one or moreingredients selected from the group consisting of: EDTA 0.01-10 g/L,FeSO₄.7H₂O 0.01-1.5 g/L, NaNO₃ or KNO₃ 1-6 g/L, ZnSO₄ 0-2 mg/L, K₂SO₄0-2 g/L, NaSeO₄ 0-0.03 mg/L, NaCl or sea salt 0.5-1.5 g/L, CuSO₄ 0-0.1mg/L, Ca(NO₃)₂ 0-0.1 g/L, MoO₂ 0-0.05 mg/L, MgSO₄ 0.05-0.3 g/L, NH₄VO₃0-0.03 mg/L, CaCl₂ 0.01-0.1 g/L, K₂Cr₂(SO₄)₄ 0-0.1 mg/L, H₃BO₃ 0-5 mg/L,Ni(SO₄)₂ 0-0.1 mg/L, Na₂WO₄ 0-0.05 mg/L, Ti₂(SO₄)₃ 0-0.1 mg/L, CO(NO₃)₂0-0.1 mg/L, and MnCl₂ 0-3 mg/L.